Economic Development

City Planning

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(DENVER) Mayor John Hickenlooper held a news conference in his office Tuesday to announce his appointees for Director of Human Rights/Community Relations, Director of Excise and Licenses, and the newly created position of Director of Marketing.

“Today, we announce three very different people for three very different jobs - yet all united in their love for our city, commitment to serve, and ability to bring their respective agencies to new heights,” Hickenlooper said.

Director of Human Rights/Community Relations: Lucia Guzman

A small business owner and a community leader, Guzman will bring her history of service to the community and record of bringing people together toward a common vision to her new role as Director of Human Rights/Community Relations.

Since 1999, Guzman has owned and operated a popular neighborhood coffee house, Lucia’s Casa de Café, and has represented west and northwest Denver on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. She has served as Vice President of the School Board, as the board’s representative on the current Citizen’s Committee for Facility Needs, and as a board member of the Denver Public Schools Foundation.

In 1994, Guzman became the first woman and first Mexican-American to serve as the Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches, where she helped to coordinate community events and oversaw staffing, budgeting, fundraising, volunteerism and development issues. Previously, Guzman spent five years as a pastor at Berkeley United Methodist Church, a cross-cultural and multi-generational congregation in Denver.

From 1975 to 1983, Guzman worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas as Dean of Students and Assistant to the President of Human Affairs. In these capacities, she was involved with grant writing, program coordination, policy development, and legislative affairs.

Known for her community involvement, Guzman has served on the board of Mile High United Way, the Governor’s Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education, Colorado AIDS Project, Hospice of Metro Denver, Denver Victim’s Service Center, Escuela Tlatelolco, Denver Urban Ministries, and AIDS/HIV Interfaith Network. She has received numerous awards including the Norm Early Victims Rights Award, the Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts Mile High Council, the Outstanding Hispanic Award from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Trailblazer Award from the American Association of University Women.

Guzman received her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and her Master of Divinity from Denver’s Iliff School of Theology. She became an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church in 1992.

Director of Excise and Licenses: Stephanie O’Malley

Stephanie O’Malley will bring her 13 years of legal experience in both the public and private sectors to the City as the new Director of Excise and Licenses.

Most recently O’Malley worked as an attorney for Patton Boggs in Denver. As a member of the firm’s Public Policy practice group, she provided expertise on matters dealing with municipal government, legislative bodies, political subdivisions, community-based organizations, business development and corporate citizenship.

She previously worked in the litigation practice group of Isaacson, Rosenbaum, Woods & Levy where she practiced commercial litigation, including employment law. As a Deputy District Attorney for Jefferson County, both in the Juvenile Division and the County Court Division, she was responsible for combined court dockets of approximately 700 cases. O’Malley began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable R. Michael Mullins in Denver District Court.

O’Malley is a member of the Denver Public Schools Citizens Committee for DPS’ 2003 bond initiative, chairperson of the “New Schools” committee, a board member of Zion Baptist Church and the East Family YMCA, and President of Friends of the African-American Research Library.

O’Malley received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard University and her law degree from the University of Denver.

Director of Marketing: Angela Baier

Angela Baier will bring her high-energy experience in branding, marketing alliances, integrated messaging, cultural community relations, private/public partnerships, market research, trend analysis, business recruitment and tourism development to the City as its first-ever Director of Marketing.

Since 1994, Baier has served as the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the Denver Zoo. In this capacity, she led the marketing and communications efforts responsible for establishing the Denver Zoo as Colorado’s most visited cultural attraction. She directed the Zoo’s new branding effort, including new logo design, messaging and execution, due to launch in 2004. She was also responsible for the unprecedented international phenomenon over the hand-reared polar bear cubs, Klondike and Snow, which garnered over $9 million in international media exposure, generated $800,000 in royalty fees, and increased zoo attendance by 35 percent.

Before moving to Denver, Baier spent four years as the Director of Development and Marketing for Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. There she became an expert using a small budget to make a big impact and established the once unsupported zoo as the top cultural attraction in the area. Previously, she also worked as the Director of Hotel Sales and Catering at the Villager Hotel and Convention Center, and as an Assistant Media Buyer and Creative Writer for Boles Advertising Agency - both in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Baier serves on the Marketing Committees of both the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Denver Partnership, as well as serving on the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Cultural Scientific Task Force, the Colorado Tourism Organization, the SCFD Tier 1 Marketing Alliance, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Public Affairs Advisory Committee. She received the 2002 Outstanding Service Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, where she served on their national branding campaign, their National Strategic Marketing Committee, and their National Market Trends Committee.

Baier received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Kansas.